• 59 minutes 37 seconds
    Mad Science in Star Trek: Khan, Bashir and the Eugenics Wars

    This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we head into the Star Trek universe to explore one of its most enduring mad science taboos: genetic engineering. From Space Seed and the rise of Khan to Enterprise's Augments arc and Deep Space Nine's shocking Bashir reveal, we trace how Star Trek keeps returning to the dangers of trying to "improve" humanity.

    Along the way, we get into the Eugenics Wars, creator-creation relationships, scientific hubris, and why a utopian future still casts a long shadow over forbidden science.

    Plus: Brent Spiner being superbly awful, Bashir's identity crisis, and why this theme runs through Star Trek for more than 200 years of in-universe history.

    Episodes discussed:Star Trek: The Original Series — "Space Seed" (S1E22)Star Trek: Enterprise — "Borderland" (S4E04), "Cold Station 12" (S4E05), "The Augments" (S4E06)Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?" (S5E16)

    Also referenced:Star Trek — "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"Star Trek: The Next Generation — "The Schizoid Man"Star Trek: Voyager — "Tuvix"

    22 April 2026, 11:00 pm
  • 1 hour 32 minutes
    Frankenstein (2025) & The Bride! (2026): Mad Science Comes Full Circle

    What happens when one of sci-fi's oldest stories is reimagined for a modern audience?

    In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we return to the origin of mad science — Mary Shelley's Frankenstein — through two new adaptations: Frankenstein (2025), directed by Guillermo del Toro, and The Bride! (2026), directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

    This isn't just another adaptation.

    It's a full-circle moment for the genre.

    From the obsessive creator who dares to make life… to the creation who refuses to belong to him, these films show how the Frankenstein myth has evolved over 200 years of science fiction.

    In this episode we explore:

    • Why Frankenstein is still the blueprint for every mad scientist story • How these new versions reinterpret the act of creating life • What they keep — and what they completely reinvent — from the original myth • Why The Bride! flips the perspective from creator to creation • What this tells us about where sci-fi — and mad science — is heading next

    From gothic horror roots to modern sci-fi storytelling, this is the evolution of one of the genre's defining ideas.

    And a fitting end point for our Mad Science series.

    Because sometimes the most important sci-fi story isn't about the future…

    …it's the one we've been retelling all along.

    9 April 2026, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    Get Out (2017) & Possessor (2020): Losing Control of Your Own Body

    In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we dive into the terrifying idea of mad science controlling the human mind through two modern sci-fi horror films: Get Out (2017) and Possessor (2020).

    Jordan Peele's Get Out hides a chilling science-fiction twist beneath its social horror story, revealing a sinister procedure designed to take over another person's body and consciousness. Meanwhile, Brandon Cronenberg's brutal cyberpunk thriller Possessor imagines a world where corporations use technology to possess people's minds and carry out assassinations.

    We explore how both films tap into classic sci-fi ideas about identity, consciousness and control, while pushing the mad scientist trope into disturbing new territory.

    Expect discussion on:

    • The terrifying sci-fi twist behind Get Out

    • The mind-transfer technology in Possessor

    • How horror and science fiction overlap in the mad science genre

    • Why stories about losing control of your own body remain so powerful in sci-fi

    🎧 Listen now for our deep dive into mind control, body swapping and the dark side of scientific ambition.

    26 March 2026, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 51 seconds
    The Human Centipede (2009) & Tusk (2014): Turning People into Monsters

    Two kidnappings and two grotesque transformations.

    Listener discretion advised...

    This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we head into the grisliest corner of our Mad Science season as we explore The Human Centipede (2009) and Tusk (2014).

    From Tom Six's clinically cold, torture-era nightmare to Kevin Smith's surreal walrus transformation, both films twist the mad scientist archetype into something deeply insular... not driven by progress, but by obsession.

    In The Human Centipede, Dr Heiter's experiment is cold, clinical and cruel - a Frankenstein figure filtered through torture cinema.

    In Tusk, Howard Howe isn't chasing science at all - he's chasing memory, trauma and a warped sense of redemption.

    We unpack:

    • The torture-porn moment of the 2000s and its legacy • The "100% medically accurate" myth • Mad science as private fetish rather than public breakthrough • God complexes, conditioning and forced transformation • Comedy vs horror - why Tusk makes you laugh and recoil • And why these scientists don't want to change the world… just their victims

    From surgical body horror to psychological conditioning, this is mad science stripped of romance and left with nothing but obsession.

    12 March 2026, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 8 minutes
    Hulk (2003) & Iron Man (2008): When Scientists Become the Experiment

    Two Marvel origin stories. Two very different mad scientists. Only one built a cinematic empire.

    This week, we revisit Hulk (2003) and Iron Man (2008) to explore the science behind the superheroes and why one experiment failed while the other changed blockbuster cinema.

    Ang Lee's Hulk is a tragic tale of inherited trauma, gamma radiation and fractured identity, a full-blown mad science horror hiding inside a superhero movie.

    Iron Man flips the formula: no monster, no accident, just a billionaire engineer weaponising his own genius and building the future in a cave.

    From Frankenstein echoes to high-tech spectacle, this is the moment Marvel transformed mad science into the foundation of the MCU.

    26 February 2026, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    Splice (2009) & Mimic (1997): Playing God with DNA

    This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we're heading into murkier, creepier territory as we pair Mimic and Splice - two films that take mad science out of the lab and straight into body-horror nightmare fuel.

    Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Vincenzo Natali, they arrive from very different moments in sci-fi cinema. Mimic comes out of the late-90s creature-feature era, mixing practical effects with early CGI and big studio ambition. Splice, released over a decade later, taps into anxieties around gene splicing, biotech, and scientists who really should know better.

    12 February 2026, 12:01 am
  • 32 minutes 33 seconds
    The Best Sci-fi of 2025: Future Frontiers

    We look back at the biggest sci-fi moments of 2025 — franchise returns, standout TV, Marvel's slump, DC's revival, and the auteur films that kept the genre interesting. From Superman and 28 Years Later to Severance and Alien: Earth, we break down what landed, what didn't, and what comes next for JTSF.

    18 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Flubber (1997) & The Nutty Professor (1996): The 90s CGI Boom

    This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we revisit Flubber (1997) and The Nutty Professor (1996) to explore how both films became showcases for the 90s CGI boom.

    We look at how early digital effects, morphing tech, ILM's rubbery animation, and ambitious makeup and prosthetics reshaped the mad-scientist trope for a family audience. From Eddie Murphy's multi-character transformations to Flubber's bouncy CGI flying rubber, we break down the moment Hollywood shifted from practical FX to digital spectacle and what effect it had on the depiction of Mad Science.

    4 December 2025, 12:01 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Buckaroo Banzai (1984) & The City of Lost Children (1995): Rockstar Scientists & Stolen Dreams

    "Remember, no matter where you go… there you are." This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we're looking at two very different visions of genius at work - one saving the world, the other stealing dreams. We discuss The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) - now say that five times fast - and The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus, 1995) to explore the heroes and villains of mad science.

    20 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 32 minutes 2 seconds
    Predator: Badlands, Bugonia & Del Toro's Frankenstein: Future Frontiers

    We're back with another Future Frontiers episode, covering all the latest sci-fi hitting screens this month.

    We chat about Predator: Badlands, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia and the upcoming Running Man remake from Edgar Wright - plus we try to decode what on earth Vince Gilligan's mysterious new series Pluribus might be.

    We also talk about what we've been watching lately - Peacemaker S2, Gen V, Foundation, and Demon Slayer - and tackle your big listener questions. Should The Thing and Predator start one minute later?

    Chapters
    • 00:00:00 – Welcome Back to Future Frontiers
    • 00:01:05 – What We've Been Watching
    • 00:05:32 – Anime at the Box Office Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man.
    • 00:08:15 – New Sci-Fi in Cinemas - Bugonia, Predator: Badlands, and The Running Man remake.
    • 00:15:01 – Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
    • 00:17:51 – Upcoming Sci-Fi Series: Pluribus & Stranger Things 5
    • 00:22:26 – Mailbag: Time Travel & The Toaster Paradox
    • 00:26:02 – Jake's hot take on re-editing iconic openings and fan edit talk.
    • 00:30:12 – What's Next for Journey Through Sci-Fi
    • 00:31:00 – Outro & Sign-Off

    Subscribe for deep-dive sci-fi chat every other Thursday, and join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes.

    13 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    Re-Animator (1985) & Poor Things (2023): Reanimated & Reimagined

    "Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow!"We're diving head-first (literally) into the weird world of Frankenstein's legacy once again, with Re-Animator (1985) and Poor Things (2023). From glowing green serums to brain-swapping brilliance, we explore how both films rewire the Frankenstein formula mixing horror, humour, and the eternal question of whether a mad science creation can ever truly go 'right'.

    6 November 2025, 12:00 am
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